White Lady
by LadyPalma
Summary: After everyone got their happy ending but her, Cruella spends her nights at the Rabbit Hole. But a certain wooden man is the new owner of the place and a sort of strange friendship starts. [Wooden Devil]
1. Chapter 1

**White Lady**

**Part 1**

Ursula had her voice back, Maleficent found her daughter and Rumplestiltskin was back with his Belle again. Cruella was actually the only one without a happy ending, maybe because she never really understood what a happy ending actually was. Trapped inside a too small town and suddenly no longer at the centre of general attention, she had spent the last weeks spending the last money left in the only thing that never betrayed her: alcohol. A generous dose had the power to lighten her soul, give her peace and, sometimes, even make her forget herself for a few hours.

Gin was her best friend and the Rabbit Hole was an oasis in the disaster of her life.

"The usual, darling"

Even that night she had showed up at the opening and sat right in front of the counter. She was always the first to arrive and the last to leave. However, the lack of answer from the bartender broke the routine and, when she decided to look up, her eyes suddenly widened.

"You! What are you doing here, _piece of timber_?" she asked, without hiding the surprise in finding the wooden man-child in front of her, instead of the usual barman.

August just hinted a smile, while he kept drying some glasses which were apparently taking all his attention.

"I work here"

Cruella widened her eyes even more, even if, actually, his current activity coudn't have been explained otherwise.

"Really? I've never seen you before" she answered, showing her confusion. And it was symptomatic enough, since she was a habituè of that place.

August shook his head and gave her an amused glance.

"Maybe you were too drunk to notice"

The woman replied with a glare, suggested more by embarassment than annoyance, though. In a second, she tried to remember all the strange things she had done or said during one random night of the many before, but she just couldn't – and she couldn't remember his face as well. She had stooped very low – she admitted to herself in a moment of self-pity - : drinking in public, ending up being caught in a disgusting state by the heroes. While she was thinking, no sound came out her mouth though.

"So, what is your _usual_?"

Leaning with his arms on the counter and moving his face toward her, it was the man to break the silence, while he was just staring at her curiously. As for him, he had noticed her more than once – and it would have been impossibile the contrary, considering the fur and the unmistakable two cloured hair – but, despite the strange attraction he felt for her, he had never stopped to talk. Anyway, he would have made it up now.

"Let me guess… White Lady?"

"_White Lady_?"

Cruella raised a eyebrow clearly confused; in her wide encyclopaedia of alcoholics, there was none with that name.

"Yes… Gin, cointreau, lime juice"

That simple answer succeeded in making her laugh. Now she understood why she didn't know that name and, understanding it, she was feeling almost offended. Who the hell did the think she was? She wasn't a little girl playing trasgressive just to attract her friends' attention! She was a grown up woman who explictly wanted to drown her sorrows - and there was a big difference in that!

And to say it all, a shot was cheaper than a cocktail and, now that she didn't have much money, every dime had its worth.

"A _cocktail_?" she eventually asked, with an almost disgusted tone. "Cocktails aren't for me… A shot of gin is my usual, darling"

August looked at her even more curiously; now that she had her so close, fear was completely won over by attraction. Everything in her – the eccentric hair, the magnetic eyes, the full red lips – was yelling that she was a maneater. She was the classic type of woman who could make a man loose his mind – and also his _wallet_… And he was the classic type of man who could let her rule. Suddenly to his eyes, Cruella stopped being the woman who had kidnapped him; quite the contrary, if she had wanted to kidnap him in that moment, he wouldn't have opposed resistance.

"But gin is tasteless… It's only useful to get drunk"

Cruella didn't deny that truth and just watched him for some moments. Beyond the fact that he was a puppet, he was really a handsome man and, judging by how he was talking, he had a certain amount of wits as well. What a shame that for her the only true adjective that mattered was _rich_. And then, she wasn't looking for company that night and, truth be told, the only man she wanted in her life was called _Gin Diamond_. Middle name _Fur_.

"Maybe, that's exactly my purpose, piece of timber… Don't you think?"

Their eyes locked. In some minutes they found themselves to unwillingly play a game and to unawarily flirt.

"So, how long for this shot? Is it coming or I have to prepare it myself?"

The sudden sharp question broke that sort of atmosphere, but didn't scratch the man's mood. On the contrary, he just openly laughed.

"Ms De Vil, you are not exactly the prototype of the ideal customer…" he commented ironically, starting anyway to messing with glasses and bottles behind the counter.

"And you are not the prototype of barman, darling…"

August smiled and interrupted his moves, just to approach her again in an almost confidential way.

"Actually, I am not a simple barman, but the new _owner _of this place"

The woman's blue eyes widened out of surprise, while an unwilling pleasant smile appared on her lips. With that social leap, the wooden man had just suddenly gained at least ten points.

"Before I was a carpenter and also a writer for a while…"

And then he lost them all again.

"Ah, I've had enough of _authors_ in my life…"

August looked at her confused, while she rolled her eyes and become suddenly nervous without apparent reason. He was even more curious, now that he was feeling close to know something more about her. However, he didn't say anything and simply continued to prepare the drink in silence.

"Here it is!" he exclaimed, giving her an amusing look.

It was a glass too big for a shot and the liquid smelled too strong to be simple gin. The time spent should have been already a suspect, after all. What the woman was having in front of her now, must have been that damned white lady that he had wanted to pass her off since the beginning.

"I'm sure I've ordered-"

"I know. But trust my judgement… _It's on the house_!"

Cruella raised her eyebrows, annoyed by the fact that she had been contraddicted and interrupted, but also – not unimportant detail – by the fact that she couldn't drink her gin. Even if, as a matter of fact, she wouldn't have said no to a free drink.

After all, she couldn't have complained at all, because August had already abandoned her to serve other customers, even if with his look he didn't leave her until he saw her sipping the drink. It had been his professional ethic to lead him to that action: gin alone was tasteless, in his opinion.

Even if, he found himself asking more than once, if it would have gained taste on Cruella's lips.

* * *

**My current situation: totally freaking out for the episode. But this is my kinda funny idea to deal with it. Plus, I wanted to write a Wooden Devil long-fic. On a side note: the title comes from my favorite cocktail LoL **

**Hope you liked this first chapter, let me know:) See you with chapter 2!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Part 2 **

"The usual"

Two weeks were gone since August and Cruella's first meeting and somehow the usual became right that so much hated White Lady.

They talked, playfully teased each other, and in the meantime a sort of clichè friendship between barman and drunkard was born. But there was actually nothing _clichè_ about their relationship, not in the way they flirt – because yes, indeed they flirted a lot. Every night that fragile balance seemed to break, but yet the tacit limit between dear acquaintance and something more passionate was never once crossed.

"Hey? Hurry up, piece of timber. I really need to have a bit of relax"

Here it was the usual wisewrack.

"Oh, I can imagine how much your day was busy…"

And here it was the usual ironic answer.

Cruella glared at him, but without further pressure opened herself up to a confidence. "Actually it was. I've been looking out for a job today."

Admitting what she felt like a humiliation was really a big deal for her, and yet in front of the cocktail – which was arrived by the way – and the man's friendly face, it wasn't so hard as she expected. She needed to talk, to vent, and August was someone who understood, someone who listened.

In fact, he just sat on the stool behind the counter, sticking out with his bust toward her, as to reduce the distance between them. The news was surprising him, truth be told, but he did his best to hold back a smile and show instead a simply curious expression.

And that was enough to Cruella as invitation to talk more. And also to the other barman of the Rabbit Hole to understand that, as usual, his boss would have taken a long break.

"I've thought about my skills and, since I am very good at making clothes, I went as first thing to the three fairies' dressmaker…"

August simply nodded, unsure about how to consider that decision. It was certainly a job suitable for her, but Aurora's three godmothers didn't seem people inclined to hire her.

"And how was it?" he cautiously asked, after some moments of silence.

"A total disaster. They not even wanted to see what I was able to do, they just send me away… And one of them called me _vampire bat_! What a fool!"

The man raised an eyebrow and holding back a laugh now was more difficult. "Vampire, really?"

Cruella sighed deeply and took the first sip of the cocktail.

"Yes, darling. But, just so you know, the only blood I drink is _Nelson's blood_. And only occasionally"

Finally a chuckle escaped August's lips, now that the subtle joke allowed it.

"You drink only gin – or white lady -, I can confirm that"

Cruella gave him a weak smile but her anger wasn't gone; on the contrary, after another sip of white lady, it only seemed to grow.

"So, I thought about becoming a dog sitter, but the only dogs here in Storybrooke are basically the doctor cricket's dalmatian and the half stray of prince Eric… At the animal reserve, they were _cruel _to me as well"

They weren't actually to blame – Pinocchio thought to himself -, and yet, in spite of the amusement he was feeling, seeing her so sad and frustrated was somehow touching him.

"Some other ideas?"

A _hatchet woman_! That would have actually been a brilliant idea, but anyway she had enough common sense to shut up about it.

"Yes, Just before coming here, I've thought about giving driving lessons! What do you think?"

That was too much. A big laugh escaped the man's control and he was forced to cover his mouth with a hand as attempt to suppress it. However, when he realized that she was actually serious and was staring at him in pure confusion, the laugh stopped itself and was replaced by an astonished expression.

"Listen" he finally said, ignoring the question and daring to take one of her hands in his. "You have considered clothes, animals, cars… But you are forgetting something you like in the list"

Cruella, despite the surprise, didn't back out of the contact and instead stared at him almost hopefully.

"The _drinks_, Cruella" he answered with a flash of enthusiasm in his eyes, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I am the owner here and I'd really need to hire someone…"

But for her that offer wasn't so obvious at all, and it was her turn to burst into an incredulous laugh. A classy woman like her behind a counter, wearing an awful apron and serving stupid cocktails? No, thanks.

"Well, I'm sorry… But It isn't for me, darling"

August wasn't surprised by the predictable answer and the clear refusal didn't touch his determination. He didn't know why, but he liked the idea of working with her and having more chance to keep her close. He would have convinced her, because he had an ace up his sleeve.

"Why not? You know the boss, you can get tips and… You are not considering all the free gin you'll drink, aren't you?"

Cruella's glare opened immediately to compromise as she heard that last addition and, after a short silence, she arrived to judge that solution not as the worst, after all.

"You could have mentioned free gin before, darling"

August openly smirked and only in the moment realized that he had been holding his breath waiting for the answer.

"We will see each other Tomorrow night, then… New bartender" he simply said then, winking at her, before disappearing to serve at the tables.

Left alone, Cruella let out an unwillig little smile, but it vanished quickly though, as her eyes fell on the glass. She sighed annoyed. She would have had to prepare her next drink herself.

* * *

**Hello! Thank you for the reviews for the first chapter, hope you liked this one as well! In chapter three we'll see Cruella working at the Rabbit Hole and I promise a bit of fun - and a bit of more connection between her and August. See you soon!**


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